Lumpy skin disease is an arthropod-borne bovine disease caused by lumpy skin disease virus. A suspect lumpy skin disease case in a breeding cattle farm on Kinmen Island, Taiwan was reported on July ...8, 2020 and later confirmed the first occurrence of lumpy skin disease in the country by molecular biological detections, electron microscopy, and sequence comparison. Implementation of control measures including blanket vaccination on the island effectively ceased the outbreaks. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the virus discovered in the outbreaks was most similar to those identified in China in 2019. Identifying this virus in the coastal areas in East Asia indicated the rapid eastward spread of lumpy skin disease in Asia.
As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has imposed significant risks to our health and affected our social and economic order, information on COVID-19 becomes readily accessible via various mass media ...and social media. In the current research, we aim to understand the impacts of employees' exposure to COVID-19 information on their workplace behaviors. Integrating Terror Management Theory (TMT; Becker, 1973; Greenberg et al., 1986) with Generativity Theory (Erikson, 1963, 1982), we proposed and investigated two psychological mechanisms (i.e., death anxiety and generativity-based death reflection) that account for the effects of employees' COVID-19 information exposure on their work withdrawal and helping behaviors toward coworkers. We also examined organizational actions internal and external corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities that served as a context for employees to make sense of their COVID-19 information exposure. We conducted two studies with samples of full-time employees (N1 = 278; N2 = 382) to test our predictions. Results in both studies showed that employees' exposure to COVID-19 information was positively related to their death anxiety and generativity-based death reflection, which in turn predicted their work withdrawal and helping behaviors, respectively. Further, employees' perceived internal CSR of their organization mitigated the positive association between COVID-19 information exposure and their death anxiety, weakening the positive indirect effect of COVID-19 information exposure on their work withdrawal. Our study offers new insights to the understanding of work and employment in the COVID-19 pandemic and sheds light on how individuals' death-related experiences shape work-related behaviors.
Coxsackievirus (CV)-B5 is a common human enterovirus reported worldwide; swine vesicular disease virus (SVDV) is a porcine variant of CV-B5. To clarify the transmission dynamics and molecular basis ...of host switching between CV-B5 and SVDV, we analysed and compared the VP1 and partial 3D
gene regions of these two viruses. Spatiotemporal dynamics of viral transmission were estimated using a Bayesian statistical inference framework. The detected selection events were used to analyse the key molecules associated with host switching. Analyses of VP1 sequences revealed six CV-B5 genotypes (A1-A4 and B1-B2) and three SVDV genotypes (I-III). Analyses of partial 3D
revealed five clusters (A-E). The genotypes evolved sequentially over different periods, albeit with some overlap. The major hub of CV-B5 transmission was in China whereas the major hubs of SVDV transmission were in Italy. Network analysis based on deduced amino acid sequences showed a diverse extension of the VP1 structural protein, whereas most sequences were clustered into two haplotypes in the partial 3D
region. Residue 178 of VP1 showed four epistatic interactions with residues known to play essential roles in viral host tropism, cell entry, and viral decoating.
•Based on mutagenic FMD VLP, we established a novel platform for identifying neutralizing MAbs without live virus.•With this platform, MAb panel was successfully characterized and at least five site ...2 MAbs were identified.•We also showed the great potential of antigenic site 2 MAbs for their application, such as monitoring the antigenic evolution of site 2.•The evidence of the antigenic evolution of O/TW/97 within site 2 under the vaccination pressure of long-lasting eradication program in Taiwan was demonstrated.
In the case of serotype O foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), antibodies against five neutralizing sites play a pivotal role in protection of animals, with site 1 being considered the most crucial. However, recent studies indicated that the antibodies of vaccinated farm animals are mainly against site 2 rather than site 1. In Taiwan, blanket vaccination had been implemented for more than fifteen years, in which the porcinophilic isolate O/Penghu/2012 showed significant amino acid alterations in site 2 compared to the early isolate O/TW/97. To study the antigenicity of site 2, MAbs against site 2 are required. In this study, we generated site 2 mutated virus-like particles (mVLPs) with only VP2-S72 N mutation, and successfully identified five site 2 MAbs from a previously prepared O/TW/97 MAb panel by immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and ELISA based on the different reactivity to wild-type VLP and mVLP. In conclusion, the established model was proved as an effective method to reveal the epitope that a MAb recognizes. By applying this MAb panel and sequence alignment, we demonstrated that the O/Penghu/2012 isolate not only showed significant genetic difference in site 2 but also significant antigenic difference from the ancestral O/TW/97.
Foot-and-mouth disease virus, a member of genus Aphthovirus within the family Picornaviridae, affects cloven-hoofed animals, causing foot-and-mouth disease characterized by vesicle development. The ...Southeast Asia topotype, one of the topotypes within serotype O of the virus, is prevalent in some Asian countries, but had not previously been found in Taiwan. The topotype was first found in pigs in Kinmen Island, Taiwan, in 2012 and identified by nucleotide sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis. Outbreaks were reported at 4 farms, resulting in the culling of 628 pigs and 1 cattle. Pigs were the only species infected during the outbreak. The incursion of Southeast Asia topotype into Taiwan implies the expansion of the topotype in East Asia.
Background/Purpose(s) Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and swine vesicular disease (SVD) are serious vesicular diseases that have devastated swine populations throughout the world. The aim of this study ...was to develop a multianalyte profiling (xMAP) Luminex assay for the differential detection of antibodies to the FMD virus of structural proteins (SP) and nonstructural proteins (NSP). Methods After the xMAP was optimized, it detected antibodies to SP-VP1 and NSP-3ABC of the FMD virus in a single serum sample. These tests were also compared with 3ABC polypeptide blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and virus neutralization test (VNT) methods for the differential diagnosis and assessment of immune status, respectively. Results To detect SP antibodies in 661 sera from infected naïve pigs and vaccinated pigs, the diagnostic sensitivity (DSn) and diagnostic specificity (DSp) of the xMAP were 90.0–98.7% and 93.0–96.5%, respectively. To detect NSP antibodies, the DSn was 90% and the DSp ranged from 93.3% to 99.1%. The xMAP can detect the immune response to SP and NSP as early as 4 days postinfection and 8 days postinfection, respectively. Furthermore, the SP and NSP antibodies in all 15 vaccinated but unprotected pigs were detected by xMAP. A comparison of SP and NSP antibodies detected in the sera of the infected samples indicated that the results from the xMAP had a high positive correlation with results from the VNT and a 3ABC polypeptide blocking ELISA assay. However, simultaneous quantitation detected that xMAP had no relationship with the VNT. Furthermore, the specificity was 93.3–94.9% with 3ABC polypeptide blocking ELISA for the FMDV-NSP antibody. Conclusion The results indicated that xMAP has the potential to detect antibodies to FMDV-SP-VP1 and NSP-3ABC and to distinguish FMDV-infected pigs from pigs infected with the swine vesicular disease virus.
•We generated a mammalian cell-based expression system for CSFV E2 protein.•The E2 protein is effectively secreted in the serum-free culture medium.•The mammalian cell-secreted E2 achieves complete ...post-translational modification.•The E2-containing medium can be coated on the ELISA plate without purification.•The E2-secreting medium-based ELISA can effectively assess anti-E2 antibody titers.
The envelope glycoprotein E2 of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is widely used as a marker for measuring vaccine efficacy and antibody titer. The glycosylation profile of E2 may affect the immunogenicity of the vaccine and the timing of re-vaccination. In this study, a human embryonic kidney cell line was used to secrete fully-glycosylated CSFV E2, which was then coated onto ELISA plates without purification or adjustment.
The resulting E2-secreting medium-direct-coating (E2-mDc) ELISA was successfully used to measure anti-E2 antibody titers in vaccinated and field pig sera samples. Compared with a virus neutralization test (as standard), the E2-mDc ELISA was found to be more accurate (90%) than a commercial CSFV antibody diagnostic kit (62%). In conclusion, the mammalian cell-secreted antigen can provide cheap, accurate and effective assays for vaccine efficacy and disease diagnoses.
Foot-and mouth disease (FMD), swine vesicular disease (SVD), and vesicular stomatitis (VS) are highly contagious vesicular diseases of swine but are not easy to differentiate clinically. For the ...purpose of instant detecting of FMD and differentiating it from the other vesicular diseases, a Luminex assay was developed. Sera from 64 infected, 307 vaccinated, and 280 naïve pigs were tested by the Luminex assay. Diagnostic sensitivity of the assay was 100%. Diagnostic specificity of the assay was 98.7% in vaccinated pigs and 97.5% to 100% in naïve pigs. Agreement between the results from the Luminex assay and those from a 3ABC polypeptide blocking ELISA was 96.3% with kappa statistics of 0.92. The Luminex assay can detect the immune response to NSP-3ABC in swine as early as eight days post-infection. Moreover, all of the 15 vaccinated but unprotected pigs were all detected by the Luminex assay. The results indicated that the Luminex assay has potential with specificity in detecting antibodies to FMDV 3ABC NSP and in distinguishing FMDV-infected pigs from with either SVDV or VSV.
The presence of serum antibodies for nonstructural proteins of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) can differentiate FMDV-infected animals from vaccinated animals. In this study, a sandwich ELISA ...was developed for rapid detection of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) antibodies; it was based on an Escherichia coli-expressed, highly conserved region of the 3ABC nonstructural protein of the FMDV O/TW/99 strain and a monoclonal antibody derived from the expressed protein. The diagnostic sensitivity of the assay was 98.4%, and the diagnostic specificity was 100% for naïve and vaccinated pigs; the detection ability of the assay was comparable those of the PrioCHECK and UBI kits. There was 97.5, 93.4 and 66.6% agreement between the results obtained from our ELISA and those obtained from the PrioCHECK, UBI and CHEKIT kits, respectively. The kappa statistics were 0.95, 0.87 and 0.37, respectively. Moreover, antibodies for nonstructural proteins of the serotypes A, C, Asia 1, SAT 1, SAT 2 and SAT 3 were also detected in bovine sera. Furthermore, the absence of cross-reactions generated by different antibody titers against the swine vesicular disease virus and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) was also highlighted in this assay's specificity.
A reverse transcription multiplex real-time PCR (RT-MRT-PCR) was developed for rapid detection and genotyping of classical swine fever virus (CSFV). The universal primers and specific TaqMan probes ...for each of the three genotypes, genotypes 1, 2, and 3, were designed within the 3′-UTR of the CSFV. Non-CSFV swine virus and clinical samples from specific pathogen-free (SPF) pigs were both demonstrated to be CSFV-negative by RT-MRT-PCR. The diagnostic sensitivity of RT-MRT-PCR was determined to be 1 viral copy/μl for each genotype of standard plasmid. For the analytical sensitivity experiment, 100 samples of 14 CSFV genotype 1 strains and 86 samples from CSFV outbreak farms were all detected as CSFV-positive by RT-MRT-PCR, and the genotype results were consistent with the results of sequencing from a previous study. The intra-assay and inter-assay variations of RT-MRT-PCR were below 3% in all experiments. The sensitivity of RT-MRT-PCR was the same as the reverse transcription nested PCR (RT-nPCR) and higher than reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and viral isolation from clinical samples. This assay was used further to evaluate the duration of viremia of wild-type CSFV in vaccinated exposed pigs. The results indicated that pigs vaccinated with the E2 subunit vaccine had longer viremia than pigs given the C-strain vaccine, which is compatible with the findings of previous studies. Thus, the new RT-MRT-PCR is a rapid, reproducible, sensitive, and specific genotyping tool for CSFV detection.
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